Monday, May 7, 2007
Titanium Dioxide: Paint and Art Supplies
I continually find useful tidbits of information in the ACTS (Arts, Crafts, and Theater Safety) newsletter. For example, two of my environmental inspection clients had a house coat containing titanium dioxide painted on their home about a week before I arrived. The coating looked lovely on the stucco of this stately old Tudor house.
Shortly after that, I read that titanium dioxide has been upgraded to a 2B carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Would the titanium dioxide be a concern at the house? Apparently not, because breathing in titanium dioxide dust appears to be the issue, not other common uses of titanium dioxide, such as in paint (that won't be sanded) or in products used on skin.
From the May 2007 ACTS newsletter: "However, artists should be concerned because the titanium white gessoes are likely to be sanded to create a dust. And clays and glazes containing them always create dust in the studio. Airbrushing or spraying of titanium-containing materials would also be another cause for concern."
Back to the house coating: It is not likely that sanding could ever be done on this stippled stucco, but could the coating produce dust over the years? The house coat is a relatively new product, so there isn't a track record of 20-30 years. While the risk might be low, I'll pass this titanium dioxide information on to my clients.
Contact ACTS at www.artscraftstheatersafety.com, Email to NYC@cs.com, phone 212-777-0062, or write to ACTS, 181 Thompson St., #23, New York, NY 10012.
Shortly after that, I read that titanium dioxide has been upgraded to a 2B carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Would the titanium dioxide be a concern at the house? Apparently not, because breathing in titanium dioxide dust appears to be the issue, not other common uses of titanium dioxide, such as in paint (that won't be sanded) or in products used on skin.
From the May 2007 ACTS newsletter: "However, artists should be concerned because the titanium white gessoes are likely to be sanded to create a dust. And clays and glazes containing them always create dust in the studio. Airbrushing or spraying of titanium-containing materials would also be another cause for concern."
Back to the house coating: It is not likely that sanding could ever be done on this stippled stucco, but could the coating produce dust over the years? The house coat is a relatively new product, so there isn't a track record of 20-30 years. While the risk might be low, I'll pass this titanium dioxide information on to my clients.
Contact ACTS at www.artscraftstheatersafety.com, Email to NYC@cs.com, phone 212-777-0062, or write to ACTS, 181 Thompson St., #23, New York, NY 10012.
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